Full-Time, Structured Program at CUNY Yields More Community-College Grads

By Katherine Mangan

When Nicolina Dapilma enrolled at the City University of New
York, the odds of earning an associate degree in two years were
less than one in 10.

Ms. Dapilma, who immigrated to the United States from the West
African nation of Togo at age 11, was considering various academic
programs when a CUNY adviser called. The pitch: free tuition and
textbooks, intensive academic and career advising, monthly subway
passes, and a structured schedule that could accommodate her
part-time job. In